Washington Nationals outclass Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 as Edwin Jackson shows command - MLB Update
Starter Edwin Jackson strikes-out six as Washington Nationals pound Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 at Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. on October 3, 2012 in the last game of the three match series.
The slow start from the Nationals was not capitalised on by the Phillies as the latter struggled to post a lead in the game.
After remaining scoreless in the first three innings, the Nationals jumped to a lead in the fourth. Their batters struck home-runs and put up a sufficient number of runs on the scoreboard.
Total 11 hits came off from the Nationals on Wednesday. The fact that players like Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse stepped up at the plate is a great sign for the team going into the playoffs.
If these two players enter the post-season with a same level of form, they can be extremely dangerous for the opponents.
Morse thrashed a home-run as he faced four at-bats and struck three hits.
As far as the pitchers were concerned, Edwin Jackson who started for Washington was improved from his previous outing. He threw little more six innings and leaked just one run. He will be looking to find ways to give up the least number of runs in the upcoming
matches.
Nationals’ first baseman Adam LaRoche sat out in the game in order to do some rest and get ready for the challenges ahead in the post-season. He is among those batters that the Nationals will rely on heavily during the playoffs.
"There's no point to go out there and try to do a little extra, try to play a little harder. For whatever reason in baseball, that has a tendency to work in reverse," LaRoche said. "What we've done up to this point has obviously been good enough."
Commenting on the Division Championship that has been won, Washington’s third baseman Ryan Zimmerman calls it a great achievement as it was one of the most important objectives of the organisation.
"It's quite an accomplishment," Ryan Zimmerman said. "Obviously winning the division was a goal and now we've done that and we have a chance to go do some stuff in the playoffs.”
Momentum has been gained by the Nationals now with this victory. It will be interesting to see how it can be helpful for them in the playoffs.
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